Morocco’s livestock and poultry sector will soon have high protein U.S. sorghum available for inclusion in feed rations. On Mon., Oct. 26, 2009, Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) loaded 25,000 tons of U.S. sorghum on a vessel in Galveston, Texas, destined for the North African country. U.S. Grains Council Director in the Mediterranean Kurt Shultz said the sale was a result of developing long-term relationships and sharing information with top feed manufacturers in Morocco.
“The sorghum was purchased by Graderco, a trading company in Casablanca that we have worked with for many years,” said Shultz. “They know what we tell them is the truth. When you have trust, you have a good chance at providing customers high-quality feed ingredients produced by U.S. farmers.”
The recent purchase occurred subsequent to a visit by USGC Senior Director of International Operations Chris Corry and other Council representatives with Graderco officials earlier this year. Corry said the representatives of Graderco were misinformed about U.S. sorghum at the time of the visit.
“They told us that when they enquired about sorghum they were either told there was none available or the price exceeded corn, said Corry. “We set the record straight by providing them with real-time market information, provided to us by the United Sorghum Checkoff Program (USCP), on the U.S. sorghum crop and pricing. With the information we provided, Graderco made the purchase. Without accurate information and a trusting relationship, the purchase would not have been made.”
Corry said the Council has intensified its sorghum marketing efforts as a result of funding provided by USCP formed last year.
Troy Skarke, USCP board member and sorghum producer from Claude, Texas said Morocco’s purchase demonstrates the strong return on investment that the USCP facilitates for sorghum producers.
“We have a good quality product, and are seeing very good yields and test weights coming out of the fields. I am optimistic that the crop will move quickly from the elevators to the end user. I look forward to the continued success from the Sorghum Checkoff efforts and the investment with the U.S. Grains Council to market our crop overseas.”
